Bag apparatus



May 11, 1965 M. DE LAITTRE BAG APPARATUS Filed Dec. 13, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 y 11, 1965 H. M. DE LAITTREI 3,182,617

BAG APPARATUS Filed'Dec. 13, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 11, 1965 H. M. DE LAITTRE BAG APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 13, 1962 May 1965 H. M. DE LAITTRE 3, 8 17 BAG APPARATUS Filed Dec. 13, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent M 3,182,617 BAG APPARATUS Howard M. de Laittre, Houston, Tex., assiguor to Bemis Bro. Bag Company, Minneapolis, Minu a corporation of Missouri 7 Filed Dec. 13, 1962, Ser. No. 244,420

4 Claims. (Cl. 112 -10 This invention relates to bag apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus forfsewing and stacking bags.

A conventional method of manufacturing textile bags, such as burlap bags, involves folding a rectangular blank of bag material in half, then sewing along the side of the folded blank opposite the'fold and along one end of the folded blank to form a sewn side seam and a sewn bottom seam. The sewing is conventionally carried out by an operator working at a sewing machine, the operator taking a folded blank from a stack of folded blanks and feeding the blank through the sewing machine, usually stitching the side seam first, then turning the-bag 90 to stitch the bottom seam. The bags are sewn in rapid succession, and it is desirable to provide equipment for automatically carrying them away and stacking them as they are completed by the operator. While such equip ment has been heretoforeprovided the prior equipment has been relatively costly and complex, including a cross conveyor from which the bags are transferred to a second conveyor and relatively complex means associated therewith for starting and stopping the conveyors and for skewing bags into a position at right angles to the second conveyor. Accordingly, among the several objects of this invention may be noted the provision of improved apparatus of this class which, while being relatively simple and of low-cost construction, is adapted nicely to stack the bags, utilizing a single continuously operating conveyor, avoiding rumpling, and without any complex starting, stopping and skew-correction means such as used in the prior art. Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the constructions hereinafter described, the scope of the invention being indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which one of various possible embodiments of the invention is illustrated,

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of apparatus constructed in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus illustrating the various positions of a bag blank and a completed bag in the course of their progress through the apparatus;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation taken on line 33 of FIG. 2, parts being broken away;

FIG. 3A is an enlarged vertical section takenon line 3A-3A of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective showing a sewing machine and associated parts of the apparatus;

- FIG. 5 is a plan of a means for clipping the thread chain trailing a completed bag;

FIG; 6 is a' vertical section taken on line '66 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a vertical section taken on line 7--7 of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a wiring diagram.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawmgs. 7

Referring to the drawings, first more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, an apparatus constructed in accordance with this invention is shown to comprise a table structure generally designated 1, including base frames 3 supporting a long narrow horizontal table top 5. As appearssin FIG. 2, table structure 1 is of extended length,

being common to a plurality of units of-this invention 3,l82,6l7 Patented May 11, 1965 rear edge 5a with its needle N toward the latter} The angleof the sewing machine relative to rear edge 5a is preferably about, 33 (see FIG. 2). The threat of the sewing machine opens toward the operators left (i.e., toward the rear edge 5a), the operator being seated on a chair indicated at position C in FIG. 2 in front of the sewing machine.

At the operators left is a table 11 on legs 13 on which is placed a stack A of folded bag blanks FB, in convenient position for the operator to take a folded bag blank PB and feed it through the sewing machine, first to sew the side seam, and then, to turn the blank and sew the bottom seam. This sequence is indicated at FBI and FB2 in FIG. 2, FBI indicating the position of a blank as it is first fed through the sewing machine to sew the side seam, and FB2 indicating the position to which the bag is turned to sew the bottom seam. The side fold of a folded blank PE is indicated at F, the side seam at D, and the bottom seam at E. In sewing the side seam D, the side of the folded blank opposite the fold P (which will be at the operators right) is fed through the sewing machine along a line at an angle of 33 to the vertical longitudinal plane of the apparatus which includes the needle N of the sewingv machine (the sewing machine being at an angle of 33 to the length of top 5). Similarly, in sewing the bottom seam, the right end of the blank is fed through the sewing machine along a line at an angle of 33 to the stated vertical plane, the blank extending out to the left of the sewing machine over top 5 generally at an angle of 33 (see position FB2 indicated in FIG. 2). V

The rear edge 5a of table top 5 is curved, and extending down from this edge, supported on frames 3, is an inclined rear panel 15. This rear panel slants down and out from the rear edge 5a, and constitutes a slide. Completed bags, designated B, are adapted to slide down this slide. The lower portion of slide 15 projects beyond frames 3, and the lower edge of slide 15 is. above floor level. An inclined endless belt bag conveyor 17 has its lower end, which constitutes its receiving end, located below the lower end of slide 15, and slants upward in rearward direction away from the lower end of the slide. Bags B are adapted to slide down slide 15 onto the receiving end of the conveyor 17. The latter is adapted to carry the bags one after another upward as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1 toward the upper (rearward) end of the conveyor. As a bag approaches the upper end of the conveyor, it is picked up by a stacker fork 19 and flipped over onto a stacking table 21 at the rearward end of the conveyor, thebags stacking up on table 21 in a stack as indicated at G.

The bed plate of the sewing machine is indicated at 23. It is located at a level above the table top '5. The conveyor 17 has a Width sufficiently greater than the length of the bags to accommodate the bags in an angledposition on the conveyor (see FIG. 2). The sewing machine is mounted on table top 5 in a plane intermediate the sides of the conveyor 17, and toward the right side of the conveyor as the operator faces. Thus, bags sewn by the sewing machine may, after cutting the thread chain which trails the bottom seam B after the latter has been completed, slide directly down the slide 15 onto the receiving end of the conveyor 17 to be carried away by the latter.

Mounted on the bed plate 23 of the sewing machine at the rear of the needle N is a clipper generally designated 24 for cutting the thread chain trailing bottom seam E. Clipper 24 comprises an elongate clipper body 25 mounted on the bed plate extending lengthwise in relation to table top 5, hence at an angle of about 33 to the length of the bed plate 23. Body 25 has three chain-receiving slots 27 extending down from its top which diverge from a common intersection 28 adjacent needle N. In the bottom of body 25 there is a longitudinal groove 29 forming a guideway for a reciprocating slide bar 31, and above guideway 29 there is a narrow longitudinal groove 32 for a cutter blade 33 attached to the bar. Blade 33 is notched as indicated at 35. g 7

Slide bar 31 extends out to the right of clipper body 25 (in relation to the direction in which the operator faces). A link 37 connects the outer end of bar 31 to an eccentric crank pin 39 on the shaft 41 of a motor M. With motor M in operation, bar 31 having blade 33 thereon is rapidly reciprocated. Slots 27 extend down to the groove 32, and blade 33 traverses the bottoms of slots 27. The arrangement is such that a thread chain trailing a bottom seam E may be readily pulled downward into any one of slots 27 as may be convenient for being cut by the reciprocating cutter blade 33.

Extending down from the bed plate 23 of the sewing machine to the inclined slide 15 is a guide generally designated 45 for directing a bag onto the slide 15. This guide consists of a piece of sheet metal which is shaped and bent to have a rear panel 47 inclined downward from the rear of the bed plate 23 to the slide 15 and a generally triangular end panel 49 inclined downward and outward from the end of the bed plate to the slide 15. Rear panel 47 of guide 45 has a relatively narrow upper end edge 51 at the level of the bed plate and a relatively wide lower end edge 53, with side edges 55 and 57 which diverge with respect to one another down from its narrow upper end edge to its wide lower end edge 53. The latter engages slide 15 and extends parallel to the sewing machine, i.e., at an angle of about 33 to the length of table top (see FIG. 2). The upper end of edge 55 intersects the rear corner of the bed plate 23 of the sewing machine at the needle end of the bed plate. Triangular end panel 49 of the guide 45 has its apex at the stated rear corner of the bed plate, being bent away from panel 47 along the edge 55. The latter extends in a vertical plane at right angles to the rear edge 5a of top 5 i.e., in the direction of travel of the belts of conveyor 17. Additional portions 59 and 61 of the guide shield the base of the sewing machine.

Conveyor 17 comprises a supporting frame 63 having inclined side rails 65 and 67. A shaft 69 extends between these rails adjacent their lower ends and carries a plurality of spaced pulleys 71. A shaft 73 extends between the rails adjacent their upper ends and carries a plurality of spaced pulleys 75, aligned with pulleys 71. Endless belts 77 are trained around respective pairs of pulleys 71 and 75. Since the pulleys are spaced, these belts are spaced. The belts are adapted to be continuously driven in the direction for uphill travel of their upper reaches by a motor 79 via a chain and sprocket drive 81 to shaft 73.

The stacker 19 is constituted by a fork comprising a shaft 83 journalled in the rails 65 and 67 at the upper end of the conveyor, outward of shaft 73, and a plurality of arms 85 extending from the shaft 83 in the planes of the spaces between the belts 77. On the end of shaft 83 outside side rail 67 is a spur gear 87. A sector gear 89 is pivoted at 91 on a bracket 93 secured to rail 67 and meshes with the spur gear. A double-acting air cylinder 95 is pivoted at one end as indicated at 97 on a bracket 99 carried by rail 67. A piston rod 101 extends from a piston 103 in the cylinder through the other end of the cylinder and has a pin connection at 105 with a crank arm 107 on sector gear 89. The arrangement is such that with piston 103 and rod 101 retracted, fork arms 85 occupy a retracted position below the upper reaches of the belts in the spaces between the belts. On movement of piston 103 to extend piston rod 101, fork arms are swung upward and around from their retracted position as indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 1.

Cylinder has ports 109 and 111 at its ends. On admission of compressed air through port 109 and venting of air through port 111, piston 103 and rod 101 are extended for forward movement of the stacker fork. On admission of air through port 111 and venting of air through port 109, piston 103 and rod 101 are retracted to return the stacker fork to retracted position. A solenoid valve 113 (see FIG. 8) is provided for controlling admission and venting of air via port 109. Valve 113, when energized, supplies air through port 109 and when deenergized vents port 109. A solenoid valve 115 (see FIG. 8) is provided for controlling admission and venting of air via port 111. Valve 115 when energized supplies air through port 111 and when deenergized vents port 111.

A shaft 117 extends between rails 65 and 67 about half way up the conveyor 17. On this shaft is a finger 119 which is counterweighted as indicated at 121 normally to extend up through the space between two adjacent belts 77 for engagement by the leading (uphill) edge of a bag being conveyed uphill by the belts. Finger 119 is adapted to be swung around and down (and held down) by a bag being moved uphill by the belts when the leading (uphill) edge of the bag engages the finger. The finger carries a mercury switch 123 which closes when the finger swings around and down. This effects forward swinging of the stacker fork 19, after a time delay, as will appear. A normally open micro-switch 125 (see FIGS. 3A and 8) is adapted to be closed by a projection 127 on shaft 83 when the stacker fork completes its forward swing. This effects return swing of the stacker fork, as will appear.

Referring to FIG. 8, the mercury switch 123 is shown to be connected across power lines L1 and L2 as indicated at 129 in series with the operating element of a timing relay 131 and a two-pole on-off switch 133 (which is closed when the apparatus is in operation). A transformer 135 has its primary connected across lines L1 and L2 in a circuit 137 including a fused two-pole on-otf switch 139 (which is closed when the apparatus is in operation). Valves 113 and 115 are connected to the secondary of the transformer as indicated at 141, valve 113 being under control of contacts 143 of relay 131, and valve 115 being under control of switch 125. The arrangement is such that when switch 123 closes, after a time delay which allows a bag being conveyed uphill by belts 77 to reach the upper end of the conveyor, relay contacts 143 close to energize solenoid valve 113 to effect extension of piston rod 101 to swing the stacker fork 19 up and around from its retracted position. Then, when projection 127 on the stacker fork shaft 83 closes switch 125, solenoid valve 115 is energized (valve 113 being deenergized at this time) to effect retraction of piston rod 101 and consequent retraction of the stacker fork.

Operation is as follows:

The operator, seated at C, takes a folded blank FB from stack A, positions it as indicated at FBI in FIG. 2, sews the side seam D, turns the blank 90 to position it as indicated at FB2 in FIG. '2, then sews the bottom seam E. The trailing chain of thread falls naturally into one of the slots 27 of the clipper body 25 thereby to clip the chain. This releases the completed bag B to slide down the slide 15. Prior to the clipping of the chain, the bag lies spread out over the slide 15 and draped over the guide 45, at an angle to the rear edge 5a of the table top 5. The lower portion of the bag lies on the belts 77 of conveyor 17. When the thread chain is clipped, the bag slides down the slide' and is conveyed rearward by the conveyor. The shape of the guide 45 is such, in conjunction with the angled position of the sewing machine and the slope of slide 15, that advantage is taken of the natural free fall of the bag (noting that the bags, being textile bags, are limp) so that the bags end up in a flat, unrumpled condition on the conveyor 17, lying at an acute angle to the conveyor belts.

Each successive bag moves upward on the belts of the conveyor and, as it moves upward, its leading edge engages and swings down the trip finger 119. This effects closure of switch 123. After a time delay set in by relay 131, sufiicient for the bag to reach a position overlying the retracted stacker fork arms 85, contacts 143 of the relay close. This energizes valve 113 to operate cylinder 95 to swing the stacker fork clockwise from its retracted position as appears in FIG. 1, thereby to flip the bag up and over and drop it onto table 21, where the bags pile up nicely in the stack G. When the stacker fork completes its forward swing, projection 127 closes switch 125 to operate cylinder 95 to bring the stacker fork back to retracted position in time to receive the next bag coming up the conveyor.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for sewing folded textile bag blanks to form a side seam and a bottom seam on each blank thereby to form each blank into a bag, and for conveying away and stacking the completed bags, comprising a table, a sewing machine on the table for sewing said side and bottom seams, said sewing machine being adapted to have a folded blank fed therethrough first to sew one of said seams and then turned 90 to sew the other of said seams thereby to form the folded blank into a bag, said table having a rear edge over which bags are discharged, a slide extending down from said rear edge, a conveyor having one end constituting its receiving end located under the lower end of the slide for receiving bags sliding down the slide and extending rearward from the table generally perpendicular to the rear edge of the table, said sewing machine being positioned on the table at an acute angle to the rear edge of the table in a plane intermediate the sides of the conveyor with its needle toward said rear edge and its throat opening toward said rear edge, said sewing machine having its bed plate located above the top of the table, guide means extending down from the bed plate over the slide, each bag after the sewing of the said other seam being positioned at an acute angle relative to the rear edge of the table spread out over the slide with one corner of the bag draped over the guide means and the lower portion of the bag lying on the conveyor, means on the bed plate of the sewing machine at the rear of the needle of the sewing machine for cutting the chain of thread trailing a completed bag, each bag, upon cutting of the chain of thread, sliding down the slide and being carried rearward by the conveyor in flat unrurnped condition lying on the conveyor at an acute angle to the direction of movement of the conveyor, and means for picking up bags as they approach the other end of the conveyor and stacking them.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said guide means comprises a rear panel inclined downward from the rear of the bed plate and extending over the slide and an end panel inclined downward and outward from the end of the bed plate and extending over the slide.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein said rear panel has a relatively narrow upper end edge at the level of the bed plate, a relatively wide lower end edge which engages the slide and extends parallel to the length of the bed plate, and side edges which diverge with respect to one another from said upper edge to said lower edge.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3 wherein said end panel is of triangular form joined to said rear panel along one of said side edges of the rear panel, said one side edge being in a vertical plane at right angles to the rear edge of the top of the table.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,961,993 6/34 Thompson 112-260 X 2,750,904 6/56 Lustgarten 112--2 2,874,659 2/59 Kehrer 11210 3,044,424 7/62 Kehrer 11210 3,109,399 11/63 Hornberger 112252 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR SEWING FOLDED TEXTILE BAG BLANKS TO FORM A SIDE SEAM AND A BOTTOM SEAM ON EACH BLANK THERE BY TO FORM EACH BLANK INTO A BAG, AND FOR CONVEYING AWAY AND STACKING THE COMPLETED BAGS, COMPRISING A TABLE, A SEWING MACHINE ON THE TABLE FOR SEWING SAID SIDE AND BOTTOM SEAMS, SAID SEWING MACHINE BEING ADAPTED TO HAVE A FOLDED BLANK FED THERETHROUGH FIRST TO SEW ONE OF SAID SEAMS AND THEN TURNED 90* TO SEW THE OTHER OF SAID SEAMS THEREBY TO FORM THE FOLDED BLANK INTO A BAG, SAID TABLE HAVING A REAR EDGE OVER WHICH BAGS ARE DISCHARGED, A SLIDE EXTENDING DOWN FROM SAID REAR EDGE, A CONVEYOR HAVING ONE END CONSTITUTING ITS RECEIVING END LOCATED UNDER THE LOWER END OF THE SLIDE FOR RECEIVING BAGS SLIDING DOWN THE SLIDE AND EXTENDING REARWARD FROM THE TABLE GENERALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE REAR EDGE OF THE TABLE, SAID SEWING MACHINE BEING POSITIONED ON THE TABLE AT AN ACUTE ANGLE TO THE REAR EDGE OF THE TABLE IN A PLANE INTERMEDIATE THE SIDES FO THE CONVEYOR WITH ITS NEEDLE TOWARD SAID REAR EDGE AND ITS THROAD OPENING TOWARD SAID REAR EDGE, SAID SEWING MACHINE HAVING ITS BED PLATE LOCATED ABOVE THE TOP OF THE TABLE, GUIDE MEANS EXTENDING DOWN FROM THE BED PLATE OVER THE SLIDE, EACH BAG AFTER THE SEWING OF THE SAID OTHER SEAM BEING POSITIONED AT AN ACUTE ANGLE RELATIVE TO THE REAR EDGE OF THE TABLE SPREAD OUT OVER THE SLIDE WITH ONE CORNER OF THE BAG DRAPED OVER THE GUIDE MEANS AND THE LOWER PORTION OF THE BAG LYING ON THE CONVEYOR, MEANS ON THE BED PLATE OF THE SEWING MACHINE AT THE REAR OF THE NEEDLE OF THE SEWING MACHINE FOR CUTTING THE CHAIN OF THREAD TRAILING A COMPLETED BAG, EACH BAG, UPON CUTTING OF THE CHAIN OF THREAD, SLIDING DOWN THE SLIDE AND BEING CARRIED REARWARD BY THE CONVEYOR IN FLAT UNRUMPED CONDITION LYING ON THE CONVEYOR AT AN ACUTE ANGLE TO THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE CONVEYOR, AND MEANS FOR PICKING UP BAGS AS THEY APPROACH THE OTHER END OF THE CONVEYOR AND STACKING THEM. 